Prospectus adds 20 courses for 2020-2021 year

The technological institute has a portfolio of more than 140 online programmes, from which 35,000 students have graduated over the past ten years. Now, the college believes, there will be a dramatic shift towards lifelong learning and online learning, and so it has developed more than 20 extra programmes for the forthcoming academic year.

Key themes in in the new programmes are ‘mastering ambition’ and ‘upskilling for the future of work’, and examples include full-time degree programmes in Health and Medical Information Science, Writing and Literature, and Business Studies; a new work-based learning degree programme in Mechatronic Systems Engineering; and a joint international delivery Masters programme in ‘Leadership and Advocacy in the Early Years’ with ITS’s partner, Fanshawe College in Canada.

Vice president for online development Professor Jacqueline McCormack said: “IT Sligo’s mission is to advance economic, social, and environmental sustainability through education, innovation, and engagement, producing graduates who are innovative, confident, and capable of leading the development of the region and beyond.

“Consistent with this mission is IT Sligo’s continued growth and strength in online/ flexible learning, placing us in a leading position in Ireland. It is vitally important for us to continue to have an excellent on-campus experience in place for students like school-leavers, but we also cater for a cohort of learners who can’t easily make it to the campus, or who are working full-time and want to upskill, or who have a disability and find it more convenient to learn from home.

“It’s about accessibility to higher education.”

The college’s Centre for Online Learning has launched a comprehensive suite of student support services, ensuring that off-campus students can still avail of supports such as access to an Academic Writing Centre, a Maths Support Centre, learning supports, the Yeats Library and student health and wellbeing services.